Cork defeated Tipperary by 2-31 to 4-22 after extra time in the ESB Munster Minor Hurling Championship on Wednesday at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

Hero Hartnett edges gritty Rebels past Tipp in classic

Cork 2-31 Tipperary 4-22

By Fintan O’Toole for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Thursday, April 29, 2010

AFTER the stunning heights they scaled last year in Páirc Uí Chaoimh, it seemed too much to hope for more memorable action when the Cork and Tipperary minor hurlers convened at the same venue for last night’s ESB Munster MHC quarter-final. Instead they surpassed last June’s fare to conjure up as spellbinding a game imaginable, packed with top-class individual displays, brilliant score-taking and a fitting finale as extra-time was required to produce a winner. The tie ebbed and flowed for 80 odd minutes but ultimately it took the critical intervention of Cork corner-forward Brian Hartnett who, having impressed throughout, really excelled in the second half of extra-time as he transformed a 2-25 to 4-20 deficit in the 70th minute into a 2-31 to 4-22 advantage in the 80th minute, by weighing in with six points.

Hartnett wound up with a dazzling 1-14 return to show for his night’s work and while his polished point-taking from play and frees was key, it was the beautiful diving flick to the net in the 49th minute that was his standout moment. Cork had other heroes on the night. Conor Lehane terrorised the Tipperary half-back line by popping over six points from play, Stephen Moore used his physical presence to good effect in attack while midfielder Darren Sweetnam controlled matters in his sector for long stages. It was a tough defeat for Tipperary to absorb considering the magnitude of their performance. Liam McGrath produced a flawless display of marksmanship in converting 10 placed balls while Aidan McCormack’s predatory instincts were reflected in his three-goal tally. Full-back Andrew Ryan was in immense form, Niall O’Meara worked diligently at centre-forward and Michael O’Brien illustrated what a loss he was to the team from the start through injury, by grabbing four points when sprung from the bench. They had cause to complain as well at the decision not to be awarded a penalty in the 59th minute when McCormack looked to be clearly pushed near goal.

Cork made the hard yards early on with Sweetnam and Lehane pushing them into a 0-5 to 0-2 advantage by the 11th minute. But Cork’s dominance counted for little when a rapid Tipperary burst yielded a neat goal by McCormack in the 14th minute and a stylish point by O’Meara two minutes later. Despite trailing by a point, Cork never seemed unnerved and thanks to the consistent high standards of shooting that Lehane and Hartnett were employing, they ploughed back in the lead. They were 0-9 to 1-3 ahead by the 24th minute, and although Cathal Horan looked a dangerous operator for Tipperary close to goal, it was still Cork in the ascendancy with an 0-11 to 1-6 advantage at the interval.

The action was cranked up a few notches at the break as the scores started to tot up with greater frequency. Jamie Coughlan hammered home a penalty to give Cork a huge boost in the 32nd minute, but between them Liam McGrath and Aidan McCormack wiped out that lead with a 1-2 blast to draw level by the 35th minute. The teams stuck close to each other for a time as they traded points but despite McGrath’s relentless accuracy from frees, Cork were looking stronger and crafted a magnificent goal in the 49th minute. Shane O’Keeffe bustled through before offloading to Coughlan, who arrowed in a cross that Hartnett dived to flick to the net at the back post. That sent Cork 2-16 to 2-12 in front but Tipperary’s response was impressive with McCormack expertly drilling in his third goal in the 52nd minute and O’Brien emerging as an attacking threat. When McGrath tapped over a 62nd minute free they looked on the cusp of victory but sub Jamie Wall did brilliantly to engineer the space to grab a last-gasp point for Cork to send the match to extra-time. Prospects of a replay could not be dispelled as the match remained tight in extra-time, with Wall and Lehane striking early points for Cork before O’Meara and O’Brien pegged them back for Tipperary. Matters seemed to turn crucially in their direction when Horan buried a shot to the net after Gary Minihane spilled the ball in the 69th minute, but Hartnett’s scoring spree proved most decisive.

A TALLY of 1-14 from Brian Hartnett gave Cork an extra-time victory over Tipperary at Páirc Uí Chaoimh. The teams were locked at 2-21 to 3-18 at the end of normal time. But six points from Hartnett in the second extra period helped Cork through. The initial 60 minutes produced a pulsating contest, Cork up 0-11 to 1-6 at half-time. A Jamie Coughlan penalty gave the Rebels a nice cushion within a minute of the restart, but Aidan McCormack’s second goal had Tipp level at 1-1 to 2-8 in the 35th minute. Hartnett and Liam McGrath continued to exchange frees, before Hartnett gave Cork a four-point lead with a brilliant diving finish on 49. McCormack’s hat-trick three minutes later brought Tipp back in it, though, and another McCormack free looked to have given them victory before Jamie Wall’s late equaliser forced the additional 20 minutes.